Town hall leaders want an urgent meeting with ministers over problems with the way asylum seekers are being dispersed in Greater Manchester.

Council bosses say they have ‘concerns’ over the current system – which is in such disarray that some asylum seekers have been put up in hotels.

Councillors on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority stress they want the region to ‘play its part’ in helping people fleeing their war-torn homes – but they want the government to better manage the system.

The M.E.N. understands town hall chiefs fear the current poorly-coordinated approach could impact on community cohesion.

Dispersal of asylum seekers is the responsibility of the Home Office, which outsourced housing of refugees in the north west to international service company Serco in 2012.

Coun Mike Connolly, leader of Bury council, speaking on behalf of the authority, said: “As a country, Britain has a moral and legal obligation to consider asylum claims from people fleeing persecution in other countries and as an area Greater Manchester is willing to play its part.

“But we have concerns about the current approach. This needs to be better co-ordinated and better managed by the government, with more consultation, than is the case at the moment.

“We are seeking an urgent meeting with ministers to address the situation in a manner which works best both for Greater Manchester as a whole and the asylum seekers themselves.”

The call comes after it emerged that up to 30 asylum seekers were housed in a Premier Inn hotel in Bolton, near the Macron Stadium, after being moved to the town from London last week. The five-day stay is estimated to have cost up to £12,000.

The M.E.N. understands there is a small number of asylum seekers still being housed in hotels across Greater Manchester.

Asylum Seekers in dispersed accommodation across Greater Manchester

3,390

April - June 2013

4,009

April - June 2014

Charity Refugee Action blamed the chaos on a backlog in asylum applications caused by Home Office decision making.

Earlier this month, the M.E.N. revealed that Greater Manchester is handling one in six of all Britain’s asylum seekers – prompting concerns that the region is being handed an unfair burden.

Manchester, Bolton and Rochdale are among the ten towns and cities in Britain housing the most refugees.

Our analysis of Home Office statistics shows that the number of asylum seekers in dispersed accommodation in Greater Manchester has jumped by 18pc in the last year – from 3,390 between April and June 2013 to 4,009 in the same period this year.

The number of refugees in the region is at its highest since mid-2010.

Until December 2012, local authorities across Greater Manchester had a significant degree of influence over the management of asylum dispersal as they directly delivered the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).

However, the current system COMPASS (Commercial and Operational Managers Procuring Asylum Support Services), which was introduced by the government in 2012, sought to consolidate the delivery of asylum support services under one regional provider - Serco.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We coordinate accommodation with local authorities where possible to ensure that asylum seekers are housed according to their individual needs.

“And we consult local authorities regularly and continue to work closely with them to ensure the system is fair for asylum seekers and for tax payers across the country.”